The Killing Habit (Tom Thorne Series #15)

by Mark Billingham

Overview

From “one of the most consistently entertaining, insightful crime writers working today” (Gillian Flynn), The Killing Habit again brings together favorite wild-card detective Tom Thorne and straight-laced DI Nicola Tanner on a pair of lethally high-stakes cases.

While DI Nicola Tanner investigates the deadly spread of a dangerous new drug, Tom Thorne is handed a case that he doesn’t take too seriously, until a spate of animal killings points to the work of a serial killer. When the two cases come together in a way that neither could have foreseen, both Thorne and Tanner must risk everything to catch two very different killers.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780802128249
Publisher:	Grove/Atlantic, Inc.
Publication date:	06/19/2018
Series:	DI Tom Thorne Series , #15
Pages:	432
Product dimensions:	6.30(w) x 8.90(h) x 1.50(d)

About the Author

Mark Billingham has twice won the Theakstons Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year Award and has also won the Sherlock Award for Best Detective Created by a British Author. His books, which include the critically acclaimed Tom Thorne series, have sold over six million copies. He lives in London.

Read an Excerpt

He was always amazed at how easy it was.

Part of that was down to him of course, and it was no more than common sense; the thorough preparations, the thought he put into it. The care taken each and every time and the refusal to get lazy.

Victims had never been hard to find, quite the opposite, but still, each night’s work needed to be treated with caution. Best laid plans and all that. He was no expert when it came to forensics, but he knew enough to avoid leaving any sorts of traces. The gloves were thicker than he would have liked, but that couldn’t be helped. It took away some of the feeling at the end, which was a shame, but he wasn’t going to risk getting scratched, was he?

Enough feeling, though. There was always enough, and each time he could feel things starting to . . . even out inside him.

A lifting, of sorts.

Funny old word, but it felt right.

Editorial Reviews

04/23/2018
A spate of cat deaths propels Billingham’s intriguing 15th novel featuring London Det. Insp. Tom Thorne (after 2017’s Love like Blood). Assigned to the case, Thorne hates the ridicule that comes with it, until he discovers that the cats are connected to a group of unsolved murders. Since the investigation requires database searches and organizing information, tasks that aren’t this rule-breaker’s strength, he seeks the help of meticulous Det. Insp. Nicola Tanner, who had a major role in the previous book. Meanwhile, Tanner has her own case to solve: junkie Andan Jandali’s murder. Thorne and Tanner team up and work both cases. Tanner’s leads to a drug ring and a mysterious woman called the Duchess; Thorne’s to a dating website where a serial killer hunts his victims. The stakes rise when a sting operation goes bad and puts Tanner in harm’s way. Readers have a dizzying array of characters to keep track of, but the action moves swiftly toward a big twist and the satisfying conclusion. This entry shows why Billingham stands at the forefront of British crime authors. Agent: David Forrer, Inkwell Management. (June)

Publishers Weekly

Praise for The Killing Habit:


"Another compulsively readable blend of satire, crime fiction motifs, and the occasional quirky, violent interlude in a tale that will satisfy [Billingham's] current fans and attract new ones.”—Booklist



"As ever with Billingham, a rich cast of characters and tense situations are marshalled with panache, leading to a final terrifying encounter."—Barry Forshaw, Financial Times



"[The Killing Habit] shows why Billingham stands at the forefront of British crime authors." —Publishers Weekly




"Mark Billingham has provided us with yet another temptation for a one-sit reading...If you’re not already on board Billingham’s (almost) annual visit to Thorne’s world, you should jump on now." —Bookreporter



"This is the 15th novel featuring Thorne, and neither he nor Billingham show signs of fatigue. One of the great series of British crime fiction continues."—The Times (London)






Praise for Mark Billingham and the Tom Thorne series:

“Morse, Rebus, and now Thorne. The next superstar detective is already with us—don’t miss him.”—Lee Child

“Billingham is a world-class writer and Tom Thorne is a wonderful creation. Rush to read these books.”—Karin Slaughter

“With each of his books, Mark Billingham gets better and better. These are stories and characters you don’t want to leave.”—Michael Connelly

“Mark Billingham has brought a rare and welcome blend of humanity, dimension, and excitement to the genre.”—George Pelecanos

From the Publisher

01/01/2018
Award-winning British crime writer Billingham gives us another spin with Tom Thorne, whose investigation of several animal killings leads to a serial killer even as DI Nicola Tanner tracks the emergence of a dangerous new drug.

Library Journal

2018-04-03
One of DI Tom Thorne's most harrowing cases begins with evidence that someone's taken to slaughtering…cats."Tomicide?" Thorne's boss, DCI Russell Brigstocke, wonders if the Homicide squad should rename itself after it's asked to investigate the gruesome deaths of at least 15 cats throughout greater London. Since butchering animals is, along with wetting the bed and setting fires, one of the classic symptoms of a nascent serial killer, the powers that be are worried that someone is preparing for a more serious spate of felonies. But consulting psychiatrist Dr. Melita Perera plants a still more disturbing seed in Thorne's head: What if, instead of working up to homicide, the cat killer is actually cooling down in between human murders? As soon as Thorne and DI Nicola Tanner, back on the job after her partner's own murder (Love Like Blood, 2017), start to look for unsolved cases, an unnervingly large number of possibilities leap out: retired librarian Patricia Somersby, Bristol University student Annette Mangan, Norwich physician Leila Fadel, all of them strangled by an unknown person who remains at large—not to mention Alice Matthews, a victim who's still cooling in the mortuary. In addition to spearheading Operation Felix, Thorne and Tanner must also decide whether city trader Andrew Evans, recently released from prison after his distracted driving claimed the life of a boy he ran down, can possibly be innocent in the fatal shooting of Adnan Jandali, like Evans a drug addict hopelessly in debt to his suppliers, despite the mountain of evidence against him. The main feature the two cases seem to share is an endless tangle of false leads. Will they converge in some more spectacular fashion?The unusual premise will hook you, but it's Billingham's patience and persuasiveness in unfolding its grim details that will keep you reading long past the hour when all cats are gray.

Kirkus Reviews

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